A behavioral study of maternal-infant interaction with focus on infant attachment and infant cognition

This study examined the interactions between 15 maternal-infant dyads using an operant learning format with special emphasis on the relationship of infant attachment to maternal behaviors, specifically the securityinsecurity dimension of infant attachment. Observations of maternal-infant interactions were made each month from infant ages 9 months to 12 months. Maternal and infant behaviors were coded and each category was scored for frequency and duration of behavior with an Esterline-Angus Event Recorder. Maternal ratios of responding and latency in responding to infant behaviors were calculated from the Esterline-Angus charts. Infants were administered several cognition tests and an attachment test, while mothers were given several attitude measures. Intercorrelations of infant behavior suggested three systems of organized behaviors distress contact with mother, positive or affillative contact with mother, and exploratory behaviors. Infant behavior was unstable across months, and evidence was found that infant behaviors change with development, in that certain behaviors take on new meanings and different patterns of organization in the interaction between mother and child. Few relationships were found between infant behavior and the attachment test results, except that insecurely attached infants tended to emit more verbal distress and touching behavior. Important factors found in a factor analysis of infant behavior weres Lack of physical contact with mother, distress contact with mother, and non-verbal distal contact. Intercorrelations of maternal behaviors indicated more stability across months than for infant behaviors, with the most stable behaviors being distal contact and stimulation behaviors, whereas the most stable infant behaviors were proximity seeking behaviors. From a factor analysis of maternal behaviors, two important factors emerged: An acceptance and. child-oriented factor and a verbal factor. The maternal responsiveness and latency data did not cluster into one or two factors, rather these measures loaded on several factors. No relationship was found between maternal ratio of responding and frequency of infant behaviors, latency measures were related to infant behaviors, but contrary to the operant position, longer latencies to infant proximity seeking behaviors increased the frequency and duration of these behaviors, whereas shorter latencies to infant social affiliative behaviors did increase these behaviors, thus some infant behaviors demonstrated agreement with the operant position. There were few significant relationships between infant cognition measures and maternal behaviors, or between infant cognition and mater nal responsiveness ratios and latency measures. The findings support a modified ethological position to infant socialization rather than an operant position. An ethological or control and communication theory assumes infants have goals and a repetoire of behaviors to achieve these goals. Infants can alternate behaviors to achieve goals. If a selected behavior does not result in goal satisfaction, other behaviors are available for use Some determinants of this repetoire of behaviors include: developmental changes in specific response capabilities due to maturation, developmental re-organization of infant behaviors into more discrete and efficient behavioral system, and the reactions of the caretaker to infant behavioral overtures leading to inf suit goal satisfaction. The major goals for infants are proximity contact with attachment object, social stimulation from the caretaker, and exploration of the environment. No strong relationships between maternal variables and infant security of attachment were found, although infants of more responsive mothers evidenced more proximity seeking behavior as shown by more following and touching behavior

Further studies on the encoding parameters of action events: Research on related and unrelated subject-performed tasks

In two separate studies, the relationship between encoding variability and recall for subject-performed tasks (SPTs), was examined. Previous research had indicated acting out minitasks during the learning phase required different memory laws than those laws developed from linguistic material. In the first study, high school students were presented with a list of 20 discrete and unrelated minitasks in a one-time trial learning paradigm. Control subjects were given the directives, acted out each imperative as given, then asked for recall of the total list of SPTs. The experimental conditions included an attention group which repeated the imperative after first given by the experimenter, an elaboration group which was given the SPTs twice with the second repetition an elaboration on the wording of the original SPT, and a paraphrase condition in which subjects paraphrased the wordings of the SPT. Results indicated paraphrasing and externally-imposed elaborations enhanced recall; however, encoding variability did not affect recall for position order of the individual SPTs. In the second study, a series of 20 SPTs which were goal-directed steps toward completion of a prototype chemistry experiment, were presented to high school students. The 20 steps were divided into five sequential sub-goals with four sequential steps within each sub-goal. In the pause experimental condition subjects were asked to pause after enacting the four steps of each sub-goal. Subjects in the advance organizer condition were given an organizer prior to enacting the four steps of each sub-goal. The post organizer condition was given the organizer after enacting the sub-goal steps. Results indicated the encoding variables did enhance recall and also enhanced recall for correct position order. Both studies examined serial position trends for item and order recall. Contrasts between primacy and recency effects also were examined within serial position results. The results from the two experiments were discussed in relationship to the prevailing theories of memory encoding and storage, specifically as related to the short-term and long-term mechanistic memory model. The findings from the studies suggest that flexible memory models can account for encoding parameters for action events within the same rules as those applicable to linguistic material

Full Scale Testing of an Aspirating Face Seal With Angular Misalignment

The objective of this presentation is to develop an Aspirating Face Seal design for use in the GE90 aft outer LPT seal location, and other new and existing engines. Therefore reducing the secondary flow leakages